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Check your fridge for these salad kits and lettuce recalled due to listeria concerns

April 10, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Two lettuce and salad kit producers have recalled products due to potential contamination of listeria monocytogenes.

Revolution Farms expanded upon an earlier voluntary recall first announced on April 5 to include all products sold under the Revolution Farms brand.

“The recalled product has the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes,” the company said in a recall announcement posted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development first received “a positive result for Listeria monocytogenes in a random sample test of a package of Revolution Farms Green Sweet Crisp 5 oz. Retail with Best By date of April 2, 2023,” the company stated.

Once the recalled product “was epidemiologically linked with a multi-state outbreak of Listeriosis” the recall was voluntarily expanded on April 6, 2023, Revolution Farms said, adding that an investigation into the matter is “ongoing.”

The affected products were sold to retailers and food service distributors in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky and Wisconsin. For a full list of retailers and detailed packaging information as well as product codes, click here .

“Revolution Farms, LLC is cooperating with the U. S. Food and Drug Administration and Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development on this ongoing investigation,” the company said in a statement with the recall.

All recalled products were distributed under the Revolution Farms brand name, and all Revolution Farms products and date codes are included in the recall.

Fresh Express Incorporated also announced a voluntarily recall on Friday of a “limited quantity of three varieties of already-expired branded and private label salad kit products” which it said was done “out of an abundance of caution due to a possible health risk from Listeria monocytogenes.”

According to a company recall announcement posted on the FDA website, the recalled products were distributed through retailers in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia, and are no longer available for sale.

No illnesses have been reported in connection with the Fresh Express recall, as of time of publication.

The affected items include Fresh Express Caesar Chopped Kit, Fresh Express Chopped Kit Chipotle Cheddar and Publix Makoto Honey Ginger Salad Kit. Click here for full product codes and use by date information.

Consumers who may have the recalled products in their refrigerators have been urged by both companies in both recalls to discard and not consume them.

Refund and return information can be directed to the company response teams found in the recall announcements.

Symptoms, side effects of listeria monocytogenes

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , listeria can cause severe illness “when the bacteria spread beyond the gut to other parts of the body” after a person consumes contaminated food. Those at higher risk include pregnant people, those aged 65 or older, or anyone who has a weakened immune system, the CDC says.

“If you are pregnant, it can cause pregnancy loss, premature birth, or a life-threatening infection in your newborn,” the CDC states on its website. “Other people can be infected with Listeria, but they rarely become seriously ill.”

According to the CDC, anyone infected with listeria may experience “mild food poisoning symptoms” such as diarrhea or fever, and many recover without antibiotic treatment.

High school senior graduates early at mom’s hospital bedside

April 10, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(BLANCHARD, Okla.) — Most high schoolers graduate in May or June but for one Oklahoma teen, commencement came a little early this school year.

Caleb Woodrum, a senior at Blanchard High School in Blanchard, Oklahoma, graduated on March 28 in an early ceremony held at the hospital bedside of his mother Stacie Scyrkels.

Blanchard High School Principal Greg Jackson was there to pronounce the 18-year-old a graduate, surrounded by his family members and the staff at Integris Health Southwest Medical Center in Oklahoma City.

“There wasn’t a dry eye in that room,” Jackson recalled to “Good Morning America.”

Woodrum told “GMA” his mom had an atrial septal defect and for the last decade had lived with congestive heart failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. For the past six years, he had been taking care of her and bringing her to her doctor’s appointments too.

He knew his mom wasn’t doing well but said he didn’t realize how much worse it had gotten until he called his mom’s hospital on March 27.

“She didn’t really tell anyone. She just wanted us to be strong,” Woodrum said.

When Woodrum and his family talked to his mom’s care team, one of her nurses mentioned they hoped to plan an impromptu graduation ceremony for him and his mom.

The unexpected event all came together in less than 24 hours, according to Christina Hopkins, a registered nurse at Integris who helped care for Scyrkels. They teamed up to bring the ceremony to life because the nursing team said Scyrkels, who was in intensive care, would likely not be able to live until May.

“Kati Crouch — she is the respiratory therapist that had been taking care of her for a while on her rotations and Stacie had mentioned to her that she just wanted to be able to make it to May to be able to see her youngest son graduate from high school,” Hopkins explained to “GMA.”

“I said, ‘OK,’ and I absolutely ran with it immediately,” the nurse continued. “I put out a Facebook post and said ‘Hey friends and family if you have any graduation decorations or supplies that you would like to donate, urgent request, I need them as soon as possible.'”

In addition to decorations and food, the Integris staff contacted Blanchard High School and Jackson said he was more than happy to accommodate the unusual request.

“We said, ‘Sure.’ We didn’t know whether she wanted us next week, week after and I think that’s when it hit home is when the nurse said, ‘Well, no, we need to do this tomorrow,'” Jackson recounted. “So we did [the] same thing anyone else would do. We grabbed a cap and gown and a diploma and we got it set up and went to Integris Southwest on Tuesday at noon and granted her wish.”

Woodrum said he is grateful he and his late mom and their loved ones were able to share such a special moment together.

“It was very surreal. It was something that I couldn’t have imagined … but I’m glad that I did get to make that memory with her,” he said.

Afterward, the mother and son duo, who held hands during the ceremony, shared an emotional hug, something Hopkins remembered vividly.

“The hug that she gave her son took a lot out of her. But she did it and she persevered because that’s what she wanted. You can see the love pouring out of her in that moment,” Hopkins said.

Woodrum said that when he went in for the hug, his mother “told me she loves me and never to forget it. And I told her I will not.”

Both Hopkins and Jackson said the early commencement went off without a hitch.

“I’m so proud of Caleb for what he accomplished and what we were able to give to him and to her especially and I’m so proud to be a part of that team,” Hopkins said.

Added Jackson, “We’re just glad we got it done for him, something he’ll remember forever, that moment with his mother.”

Scyrkels died the day after her son’s early graduation on March 29, which also happened to be her 57th birthday.

Mom who spent life savings on daughter’s cancer treatment wins $2M jackpot

April 10, 2023 by WDNY Radio

Mom who spent life savings on daughter’s cancer treatment wins M jackpot

(LAKELAND, Fla.) — A Florida woman who spent her life savings to help her daughter beat breast cancer is now a millionaire.

Geraldine Gimblet of Lakeland bought a winning Florida Lottery ticket one day after her daughter completed her final treatment for breast cancer.

Gimblet said she purchased the last available ticket the store had of her favorite Scratch-Off game.

“At first, the gas station clerk thought there were no tickets left, but I asked him to double check because I like the crossword games the best,” Gimblet said, according to the Florida Lottery. “He found the last one!”

The $10 ticket was a $2 million dollar winner for Gimblet, according to the Florida Lottery.

When she claimed the prize at the lottery’s headquarters in Tallahassee last week, Gimblet did so alongside her daughter and granddaughter.

Gimblet’s daughter, who was not named, shared with Florida Lottery officials how her mom supported her financially during her cancer battle.

“The day before my mom bought this ticket, I rang the bell and walked out of the hospital after completing my last treatment for breast cancer,” she said. “My mom had taken out her life savings to take care of me when I was sick. I’m just so happy for her!”

Gimblet did not reply to ABC News’ request for comment.

According to the Florida Lottery, Gimblet opted for a one-time, lump-sum payment, meaning she took home just over $1.6 million.

Michael Ray previews ‘Dive Bars & Broken Hearts’ EP

April 10, 2023 by WDNY Radio

Michael Ray has been giving fans an exciting live preview of his upcoming EP while on the road.

“There’s nowhere I’m more alive than playing to a roomful of people,” Michael shares. “To me, that’s where country music comes to life. I love being in the studio, putting a song into just the right instruments and frame. But if you want to really understand how a song works, go play it somewhere big enough to get loud, but small enough to feel the people.”

Produced by Michael Knox, the Dive Bars & Broken Hearts EP will feature six songs that sonically and lyrically reflect Michael’s upbringing and musical influences.

“When the songs are this strong, you know you’ve got something. And when you were practically born playing this kind of music with your family, literally grew up in the bars and little roadside theaters, you can’t help yourself,” the singer adds.

“We kept finding songs that felt right for who I am,” Michael continues, “and we kept singing live and pulling the heart out of the songs. It’s been an amazing process. When we’ve been playing, you can feel the difference with the new stuff … so we’re now using the road to really dial in what Dive Bars & Broken Hearts is gonna be.”

Michael’s latest studio collection is 2021’s Higher Education EP. His latest full-length project is 2018’s Amos. No release date has been announced yet for Michael’s new EP.

Visit Michael’s website to see him in a city near you.

Eddie Van Halen’s “Hot for Teacher” guitar up for auction

April 10, 2023 by WDNY Radio

The guitar Eddie Van Halen played in Van Halen‘s “Hot for Teacher” video is going up for auction.

Created specifically for Eddie by Paul Unkert of Kramer Guitars, the “Hot for Teacher” axe was one of Van Halen’s main guitars between 1983 and 1984. In the “Hot for Teacher” video, Eddie memorably shreds the song’s solo on the guitar while walking across desks in a library.

The auction begins at $1.8 million, and is expected to fetch between $2 million and $3 million. It’s open until April 18 via Sotheby’s.

For more info, visit Sothebys.com.

Virginia mom facing charges for 6-year-old who shot teacher

April 10, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(NEWSPORT NEWS, Va.) — The mother of a 6-year-old boy who allegedly shot a teacher at his Newport News, Virginia, elementary school is now facing charges, prosecutors announced Monday,

A grand jury returned two indictments charging Deja Taylor with felony child neglect and misdemeanor recklessly leaving a loaded firearm as to endanger a child, according to prosecutors.

Taylor’s 6-year-old son allegedly took a handgun from his home on Jan. 6, put it in his backpack and brought it to Richneck Elementary School where he allegedly shot and wounded 25-year-old teacher Abigail Zwerner in a first grade classroom. Zwerner suffered critical injuries but is expected to make a full recovery.

Zwerner has sued the school’s former superintendent, principal and assistant principal for $40 million, alleging negligence.

Zwerner’s lawyer, Diane Toscano, said in a statement about the new charges, “There were failures in accountability at multiple levels that led to Abby being shot and almost killed. Today’s announcement addresses but one of those failures. It has been three months of investigation and still so many unanswered questions remain.”

“Our lawsuit makes clear that we believe the school division violated state law, and we are pursuing this in civil court,” Toscano continued. “We will not allow school leaders to escape accountability for their role in this tragedy.”

Police said the 9 mm Taurus pistol was legally purchased by the boy’s mother.

In the wake of the shooting, the 6-year-old’s family said their son “suffers from an acute disability and was under a care plan at the school that included his mother or father attending school with him and accompanying him to class every day.”

“The week of the shooting was the first week when we were not in class with him,” the family said.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

1,200 aboard two migrant boats rescued in Mediterranean

April 10, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(LONDON and ROME) — About 1,200 migrants on two different boats were rescued in the Mediterranean on Monday, the Italian Coast Guard said.

One of those boats, a migrant vessel adrift in the Mediterranean with about 400 people on board was in “huge danger” amid high waves on Monday, Sea-Watch International, a nongovernmental rescue operation said.

Italian Coast Guard ships had been dispatched in a rescue operation, the organization said. Another vessel with about 800 people on board also was safely evacuated about 120 miles off the southern coast of Sicily on Monday, according to ANSA, an Italian news agency.

The adrift vessel had departed from Tobruk, Libya, with migrants heading to Europe, according to Alarm Phone, a migrant-aid group.

Around 2,000 people had been rescued by the Italian Coast Guard over the weekend since Friday, the coast guard said. With the combined rescues Monday, the total number of rescues is up to more than 3,000 people since Friday.

“The people on board are in panic and ask for immediate rescue,” Alarm Phone said on Twitter.

The vessel had been taking on water on Sunday as it drifted between Greece and Malta in high seas, both organizations said. Sea-Watch said it came across the vessel “in distress” on Sunday after the captain had apparently abandoned ship.

“Two merchant ships that are ordered not to rescue, instead one was asked by Malta to only supply the boat with fuel,” Sea-Watch said.

Alarm Phone said several people had jumped into the water when they saw nearby merchant ships. The ship that had supplied fuel didn’t rescue any of the passengers, Sea-Watch said.

“A woman reported the seriousness of the conditions on board. The captain left & there is nobody who can steer the boat,” Alarm Phone said. “Several people require medical attention, incl. a child, a pregnant woman & a person with a physical disability.”

ABC News’ Ellie Kaufman contributed to this report.

DOJ asks appeals court for emergency stay of abortion pill ruling

April 10, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — The Justice Department on Monday filed an emergency stay motion with the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals seeking to block the order from a federal judge in Texas striking down the FDA’s approval of the abortion medication drug mifepristone.

“Rather than preserving the status quo, as preliminary relief is meant to do, the district court upended decades of reliance by blocking FDA’s approval of mifepristone and depriving patients of access to this safe and effective treatment, based on the court’s own misguided assessment of the drug’s safety,” the DOJ said.

“The district court took this extraordinary step despite the fact that plaintiffs did not seek relief for many years after mifepristone’s original approval, waited nearly a year after the most recent FDA actions they seek to challenge, and then asked the court to defer any relief until after a final resolution of the case,” the motion reads.

U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk, a Trump appointee, ruled late Friday to suspend FDA approval of mifepristone — the first time a federal judge has blocked a drug approved for humans despite the FDA’s position. Kacsmaryk put the order on hold for seven days to give the Justice Department time to appeal.

The DOJ said the district court’s unprecedented order should be stayed pending appeal. it argued the plaintiffs lack standing to challenge the FDA’s approval of a drug they neither take nor prescribe; their challenge to FDA actions dating back to 2000 is manifestly untimely; and they have provided no basis for second-guessing FDA’s scientific judgment.

“Those defects foreclose plaintiffs’ claims, and the court flouted fundamental principles of Article III and administrative law in holding otherwise. Indeed, no precedent, from any court, endorses plaintiffs’ standing, timeliness, or merits theories,” the DOJ said.

“The court’s sweeping nationwide relief was especially unwarranted given the balance of harms: If allowed to take effect, the court’s order would thwart FDA’s scientific judgment and severely harm women, particularly those for whom mifepristone is a medical or practical necessity. This harm would be felt throughout the country, given that mifepristone has lawful uses in every State. The order would undermine healthcare systems and the reliance interests of businesses and medical providers. In contrast, plaintiffs present no evidence that they will be injured at all, much less irreparably harmed, by maintaining the status quo they left unchallenged for years.”

“The district court granted a seven-day administrative stay. This Court should extend the administrative stay pending resolution of stay proceedings in this Court and, if necessary, the Supreme Court. The Court should then stay the district court’s order pending appeal,” the DOJ told the appeals court.”The government requests that this Court enter an administrative stay or grant a stay pending appeal by noon on April 13, to enable the government to seek relief in the Supreme Court if necessary.

Future access to the abortion pill mifepristone — on the market since 2000 and used in more than half of abortions in the U.S. — also hangs in limbo after contradictory rulings late Friday by Kacsmaryk and a second federal judge in Washington State.

Within hours of the Kacsmaryk’s order Friday, U.S. District Judge Thomas Rice, an Obama appointee, ruled that mifepristone should continue to be available in 17 states and the District of Columbia. Those states had sued in anticipation of a ruling limiting access.

When there’s such a conflict between lower courts — especially appeals courts — the Supreme Court typically steps in.

“Because they’re at a similar level, the heads will butt until they get to a higher court,” said ABC News legal contributor Brian Buckmire, when asked about the conflicting cases on “GMA3” Monday. “It could be a Supreme Court argument deciding this all.”

“A lot of people are predicting already that [Justice Brett] Kavanaugh may be the person to look to, because he was the one that said, yes, we may stop short of Roe v. Wade, but we will allow the states to decide themselves,” Buckmire said, referring to Kavanaugh’s concurring opinion in the Dobbs case that overruled a constitutional right to abortion.

The 5th Circuit, seen as one of the most conservative, is expected to weigh in before the ruling takes effect on Friday.

“In other words, Kacsmaryk’s ruling will go into effect at midnight (CDT) on Saturday, April 15 unless either the Fifth Circuit or the Supreme Court freezes it in the interim,” wrote Steve Vladeck, a constitutional law professor at the University of Texas.

“If the Fifth Circuit grants either form of relief before the end of the day Friday, then this probably stays out of the Supreme Court for now; it seems more than a little unlikely that the plaintiffs in the Amarillo case would try to ask the Supreme Court to vacate such a stay,” he said.

Until then, experts have speculated on what the high court might decide.

“It’s easy to imagine that there are four votes to, at the very least, put the ruling on pause for however long it takes for the case to make its way through the lower courts (including Chief Justice Roberts and the three dissenters in Dobbs). The question to which we might have an answer by the end of the week, an answer that will have implications far beyond the specific (but massively important) future of mifepristone, is whether there are five,” Vladeck wrote.

ABC News’ Anne Flaherty contributed to this report.

Keke Palmer shares new photos of son Leo

April 10, 2023 by WDNY Radio

Keke Palmer and her boyfriend, Darius Jackson, celebrated their son’s first Easter over the weekend and shared adorable photos to mark the occasion.

In the photos, the actress and Jackson smile with their son, Leo, who is dressed in a polka dot outfit and fuzzy Uggs.

“Happy Easter,” she captioned her post, adding an Easter egg emoji. “Blessings to all! He has risen.”

The Nope actress, who confirmed her pregnancy in December while hosting Saturday Night Live, announced the birth of her son on Instagram February 27.

In an update shared last month, the actress called motherhood her “greatest gig of all.”

“Learning how to balance it all and looking forward to discovering this new person I am becoming,” she wrote in the March 20 Instagram post.

She added, “I will never be the same again, but if you thought I was a bad mama jamma before, you can’t imagine the greater purpose my son has given my life!”

2023 Rome River Jam: See who’s performing

April 10, 2023 by WDNY Radio

The lineup for Georgia’s 2023 Rome River Jam has been announced.

Parker McCollum, Lainey Wilson, Bailey Zimmerman, Tracy Lawrence, Jon Langston, Chase Matthew, Baylee Littrell and Gavin Adcock join this year’s performance bill.

Presented by Blue Otter Polarized, the two-day event will take place on the Coosa Valley Fairgrounds on October 21 and October 22.

Presale begins Thursday, April 13, with general sales starting on Friday, April 14.

To sign up for presale access or for more information, visit romeriverjam.com.

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